Have we helped you help your puffer?

Oh no! Sick fish?! Come here and see if someone can help!
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!

Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
User avatar
Liliana
Puffer Fry
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:07 am
Gender: Female
My Puffers: Two GSP in an 80 gallon tank
Location (country): United States
Location: Colorado

Re: Have we helped you help your puffer?

Post by Liliana »

I've only been on this site for a few days and I am amazed at how helpful you guys all are. I still have some reading to do and more notes to take, but honestly I really believe my little guy would have died. Although he unfortunately has that worm inside of him, because of you guys I'll be able to let him have as happy of a life as he can have until he sadly passes away (that will be a really sad day).
I honestly wish I would have found you guys sooner when my first puffer died a while back. Though I am not sure if it would have been too helpful or not-he got in a fight with another puffer and puffed up. I came home to find him stuck to the sucker thing of the filter. And when I got him off, he wouldn't move or anything, just kept breathing till he eventually passed. It was sad.
But, as I said, I am really impressed with the help and education I have received so far. Thank you, all of you! :)
darlyn
Puffer Fry
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2014 11:26 pm
Gender: Female
My Puffers: 2 striped burrfish
Location (country): USA
Location: Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Re: Have we helped you help your puffer?

Post by darlyn »

Ya'll have helped me on many occasions. I am the mother to 2 Spiny Box Puffers for about 2 years now. I got them as a gift when they were tiny babies from a shrimper. Now they are big fat begging pigs but who can resist those big eyes. I spoil them. I have referred to this forum many times for help. Donation made. Thank you.
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